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This story is part of the series Better Business Travel

How to be savvier with public transportation

USATODAY
6:14 p.m. EST November 12, 2012

As part of the effort to reduce curb congestion and encourage carpooling, the airport has hired and placed extra staff outside the terminals to explain the program to passengers and to calculate wait times.(Photo: Boston Logan International Airport)

Story Highlights

An array of transportation services, apps and deals allow business travelers to save time and money

Try hotel courtesy buses, subways, light rail, trolleys, or a valet service that works with your car

Since June, passengers have been able to ride for free on buses from Boston's Logan Airport

"At the end of the ride you don't have to worry about a receipt or tip," says Endress, a marketing director who lives in Chicago. "They take care of that for you and email the receipt. For business travel, it's such a time saver."

Convenience and comfort can be hard to come by on the road. But there are an array of transportation services, apps and deals that allow business travelers to avoid long taxi lines and hit the ground running when they're out of town, and maybe save money while they're at it.

For travelers who need to rent a car, Enterprise has a deal that will only cost $9.99 a day, Friday through Monday at most of its off-airport sites across the U.S. The annual offer lasts through May 22, 2013.

If you'd rather not rent a car or hail a cab, GroundLink bills itself as "the next generation of car service," connecting travelers to a network of drivers around the world.

Travelers can call GroundLink or click on the company's app or website to reserve a car days before they need it. When they finally take their trip, they'll receive a message as soon as their flight touches down telling them their car's whereabouts.

They can also connect with their driver with just a click, and like Uber, travelers can track their private car's movement on their mobile device.

"We're trying to remove that anxiety," says Tony Dastolfo, GroundLink's chief sales officer. "The intent is to say 'here's your car. It's on your way' ... and you literally see it move on the map."

If you're in Philadelphia, Pacifico Airport Valet will not only ferry you to and from the airport in your own car -- it will detail it and work on the engine while you're away.

Timmy O'Brien, Pacifico's general manager, says the service also offers a deal to travelers who need to leave their car for 15 days or longer, charging them a base fee of $6 a day for parking.

And don't worry about a cold car not starting when you return. "If someone (is gone) for a long period of time," O'Brien says. "we start the car periodically so they don't have to worry (that) ... they'll come home to a dead battery."

Veteran business travelers know to use hotel courtesy buses to get to where they're staying. Many big-city hotels or airport hotels run them around the clock to accommodate guests.

And public transportation -- subways, buses or light rail or trolleys offered in many of the nation's biggest cities -- is another option for business and leisure trekkers, whether they're going to or from the airport or around town.

Since June, passengers have been able to ride for free on buses between Boston's Logan Airport and South Station, a major transit hub. Before the trial program, which is scheduled to end after Jan. 6 of next year, there was a $2.50 fee, says airport spokesman Richard Walsh.

"It's a great way to promote public transportation . .. getting to and from the airport in something other than a vehicle," Walsh says. "We're limited here in parking so we have to find that balance.

"By offering this as a pilot we're hoping to really raise the visibility and put this in the forefront of our passengers' minds," he says. "If they are looking for options, it's an economically and environmentally friendly way to get from Logan Airport to downtown Boston."

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has a fare-free zone for buses in the city's downtown commercial area and for light rail users traveling between downtown and Pittsburgh's north shore where many businesses and cultural attractions are based.

"If you're visiting here, it's a great deal," says Jim Ritchie, spokesman for the Port Authority of Allegheny County. Among the companies and attractions making their home on the north shore are Alcoa, which has its corporate headquarters there, and the Andy Warhol Museum.